Arizona Cardinals: An In-Depth Review By 2nd And Wrong

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What they should have done was find some way to get their hands on an offensive lineman. If you want a better running game, get better blocking. I can run through open holes and I’m not a running back. You can always use an upgrade on the line, always. Just think about all the great runners and offenses in the league, and then look at their O-line. I’ll bet you know a lot of the names on it.

I only know Levi Brown on the Cards. And Mike Gandy. That’s two out of 5. And they’ve only got two first-day players on the line (players taken in round 1 or 2). The draft isn’t just a random picking of players. The best are usually taken first. Sure, you can be like Ryan Leaf! Ki-Jana Carter! Akili Smith! But then I’ll be like Peyton Manning bitch, sit down.

The Cards waited until the 5th and 7th round to address the line, and that just won’t be enough. There weren’t a lot of players available with the 31st pick, but Eben Britton went 7th in the 2nd round. Trade down, get a little more value, and don’t waste a pick.

On defense, this team showed up to play. Like good gosh darn. They have a pretty damn good line, and it showed (not that it takes much for Ben Roethlisberger to play terribly GO BENGALS).

They spent a second round pick on a DE, which to me seems like a bit of a waste when you have other needs you could address. I’m of the mindset that you want to get good at all your positions, instead of just getting someone really good and then having everyone else be okay. You don’t go into the river in poker holding just one ace. You need at least a straight draw or a flush draw or a pair to make something happen.

Their linebacking corps is pretty solid and probably the weakest link in their defense. Their secondary is impressive, with one of the best safeties in the NFL with Adrian Wilson.

Their biggest weakness on defense though, if you watched the Super Bowl, is Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. If after the game you asked yourself “When did Santonio Holmes become that good?” the answer would be he didn’t. Cromartie blew coverage after coverage on him all night. Then again they weren’t so much blown coverages as he’d just give him too much space and then get beaten because he can’t tackle to save his life like 95% of the cornerbacks in the league.

Cromartie handed him nearly every catch. That game-winner was a shame too. It was covered about as good as it could have been, and fades like that to the back corner are very tough to defend. But it should never have come to that point because a) Cromartie should’ve at least pretended he belonged in the NFL by covering him for at least HALF the game and 2) even I knew Ben was going to roll out of the pocket and try to run it on that play, but the defensive line must’ve thought he was a good passer or something so they stayed (don’t know where they got that idea from).

Other than that, this defense has pretty much all you could ask for. Good pass rush thanks to Dockett and Co. Great secondary (except for Cromartie, but he was a rookie so he’s got an excuse… for now). Not too much I would’ve done on that defense. It was just an issue of motivation.

The only thing I would’ve done is tried to get a good, solid LB or do the basic thing and look at improving the line, in this case the D-line. Evander Hood went one pick later, Laurinatis went in the top of the second, etc.

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